Guided hiking "tour" of the AT

[Mrs Baggins]

http://www.footloose.com/tours/fne.html

We went with Footloose to Chile/Argentina on a 20 day trek trip a few years ago so I was looking them up again for another trip and found this. Maybe these "tours" have been around awhile but it's the first time I've seen a tour that was all about hiking the AT. Knowing the equipment they use and how you're fed I can't imagine how that would work on the AT without sherpas!

[Buzz_Lightfoot]

Perhaps they use the finest American Camper gear purchased at Walmart!

[beeman]

given all the roads that cross the trail anymore, I could see them bringing the stuff close to the camping location each night.

[Skyline]

There have been, and still are, "light-hiking" vacations that involve various trails. Most involve accommodations ranging from rustic to luxurious each night, and some if not all meals.

I know there used to be an inn-to-inn hike along the AT in the Berkshires area a few years back, and I've heard about something similar in Southwest Virginia.

Three years ago, AT Journeys (ATC's magazine) published a feature written by Laurie Potteiger on lodge-to-lodge hiking in Shenandoah National Park. While it's a self-guided hike, it's proven to be very popular. So much so that it now has its own website courtesy of Mountain & Valley Shuttle Service—which is partnering with the Park's food and lodging concessioner:

www.HikeLodge2Lodge.com

This is basically a series of moderate-length dayhikes through the most popular part of SNP on the AT, with side trail options to waterfalls. Each night hikers end up at resorts and cabins within the Park within earshot of the AT. An especially affordable lodging and selected meals rate (weekdays) of $96 double occupancy is being offered.

[Hooch]

http://www.footloose.com/tours/fne.html

We went with Footloose to Chile/Argentina on a 20 day trek trip a few years ago so I was looking them up again for another trip and found this. Maybe these "tours" have been around awhile but it's the first time I've seen a tour that was all about hiking the AT. Knowing the equipment they use and how you're fed I can't imagine how that would work on the AT without sherpas!

Looking at their site, the only thing that comes to mind is a fool and their money are soon parted.

[Mrs Baggins]

Looking at their site, the only thing that comes to mind is a fool and their money are soon parted.

The South America trek we did with them was outstanding - very rugged, very physical, with once-in-a-lifetime kinds of scenery and activities. It was money well spent. But I wouldn't certainly wouldn't use them for a trip like the AT.

[CowHead]

What a great ideal folks will pay for that I'm all for free market system.

[Mrs Baggins]

What a great ideal folks will pay for that I'm all for free market system.

I figure they probably get a lot of overseas people signing up for their North American tours.

[Foyt20]

There is a fool born every day.

[fancyfeet]

I notice they list Baxter, Green Mtns and White Mtns under "National Parks". When did that happen?

So, basically, it's transportation, camping and meals for about 4-5 actual days of dayhikes on the AT for the bargain price of $1839 (airfare and transfers not included).

Wow.

[Egads]

Damn, that's a lot of Jack to take a walk in the woods

[Tinker]

There are plenty of guides to help a person along the AT. They come in the form of BOOKS and are pretty cheap.
Having a guide service show you the AT is about as fulfilling as...........(you name it).

[Skyline]

There are plenty of guides to help a person along the AT. They come in the form of BOOKS and are pretty cheap.
Having a guide service show you the AT is about as fulfilling as...........(you name it).

Having a human guide on the AT is unnecessary. On some other hikes involving trails or bushwacking in more remote areas, having a human guide might be a valid idea.

The self-guided hiking vacation packages mentioned above involving the AT do appeal to a certain niche market. There are a lot of folks who have a draw toward our famous trail, who want to spend several days hiking on it, who have no desire to purchase or use camping gear or sleep in the woods. These vacation packages are perfect for them.

Compared to other domestic vacations a family or a couple might take, these hiking vacations (SNP and Southwest Virginia come to mind) are downright affordable. A family of four spending three days at, say, a Six Flags Amusement Park is going to be spending money all day long on overpriced food, extra services, souvenirs, etc. There is an impulse buy around every corner. That's in addition to hefty admission fees and lodging.

The family on a hiking vacation is in the woods much of the day. That almost eliminates impulse buying. Their only expense is for lodging which may include one or more meals each day if they buy a package, the cost of a shuttle at the start, and any incidentals or extra meals they buy at their nightly stops.

[Frosty]

The South America trek we did with them was outstanding - very rugged, very physical, with once-in-a-lifetime kinds of scenery and activities. It was money well spent. But I wouldn't certainly wouldn't use them for a trip like the AT.

But there isn't much of a difference between the two, if you think about it. Both trips fit the same criteria. In both cases you are paying a couple of thousand dollars to have someone babysit you, feed you, and show you only what they deem the best. What's the difference between busing between the best of Argentia, spending hours at each spot, and hiking the Green Mtns, White Mtns, and 100-mile Wilderness in a total of 6 days?

The same way we would snicker at people who hiked two five mile segments of the Green Mtns to "experience" Vermont, local Argentians would be snickering at the folks who jump into a shuttle bus and scoot for the next attraction.

They are great if you have the $$$ and not much time and only need to see the superficial, but there is no shortcut to spending time on the ground, muddling through, to experience a place/culture.